Study for February or put off til June 2014?

Mila Eve

Hi all --
I'm pretty sure I'm posting in the right spot but let please move if I'm not!
In any case I'd like some advice.
I am a college student, but that's it.
My situation started off late January when I started to study for the October 2013 exam. This self-studying (complete with MLSAT and Powerscore bibles) didn't work out for personal reasons. I then decided to try to study again for the December exam, this time with a tutor. This has not worked out because my exam scores are nowhere near (think 150s) where I need them to be (170+). I'm delaying until February and taking a year off to work before law school, but now have been considering delaying until June 2014 in pursuit of a great score.
I have purchased the Complete LSAT package and will be going over it, as well as the recommended practice exams, in preparation for February. Do I have enough time to improve to where I need to be by then? Any experience or recommendations would be great.

Katherine

I think it really depends on how much time you have to devote to studying. Taking either February or June will position you well to apply early in the admissions cycle for 2015. I think my best advice (as someone who has taken LSAT more than once and wished I hadn't!) is to be realistic about your outside commitments, work/study schedule and to take LSAT prep very seriously. Do not approach the test with the attitude "I can take it again." You can take it again if you have to, but the goal should be to wait to take it until you are scoring within your desired range on your practice tests. It's always best to have 1 strong score, than more than one that you have to explain. Good luck!

Kaizen099

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kraft.phillip

If you are already planning to enroll in 2015, there's no reason not to take it even in Oct '14. I took the last Oct LSAT, and I'm retaking either in June or October. I got a 165 on the real thing, but I'm still open to the possibility that I won't be in the 170s solidly by June. The amount of studying you can do during the summer months leading up to the October test is absolutely unreal. There is no reason to waste that. I'd recommend aiming for June, and possibly putting it off until October if you don't feel you are ready when June comes around.

Nilesh S

I would say keep on PTing till a few days before the test...then look at your PT scores by that time and ask yourself...are you comfortable with them? If yes then great...go ahead and give it...if you are not, then don't give it and wait.

amyphan86

Why is the February LSAT not disclosed?

zhenders

What a bump!

I think the idea is that the February test materials are also those which they use for such things as international tests and weather-rescheduled tests, both of which are different.

The idea that if they were disclosed too, LSAC would have to write LOADS more tests. By having one undisclosed test, they have a ready pool of unstudied material to pull from.

I imagine that it's February and not June or sep/oct or December because February is the last test in the cycle, technically -- so for most people intending to apply for the following year, it's their last chance -- so it makes better sense that February is unreported vs. June, after which people very well may intend to study [their mistakes] and retake.